Battle of Milagros

The Battle of Milagros took place on 28 May 1066 during the Reconquista in Spain. A Castilian raiding party of knights commanded by the Christian knight Lord Jacome of Burgos descended into Moorish territory after crossing the Duero River, and the Castilians engaged the Muslims in a short cavalry battle. The ensuing clash saw the Castilian knights overpower the Moorish Arab cavalry, and the Moors were forced to flee, with many of them being killed or captured during their retreat.

Background
The Moors of the Iberian Peninsula had waged war with the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain for centuries, engaging them in seasonal raids, known as aceifas. The Christian kingdoms also raided Muslim lands, mostly to free Christian slaves taken by the Muslims, as well as to gain fame and plunder. The united Christian kingdoms of Castile and Leon launched one such raid on 28 May 1066 on the orders of King Fernando I of Leon, who wanted to subject more Moorish rulers to Castilian taxes. He tasked the knight Lord Jacome of Burgos with leading an army of just over 300 knights to harry the Muslims of the area south of the Duero River, which typically marked the border of Leon with the Dhunnunid Emirate. The taifas (Moorish city-states) allied with the Almoravids in hopes of gaining security against the Christians, and an army of 300 Arab horsemen under Yahya of Kunka was dispatched from Kunka (Cuenca) to repel the invaders. The two armies met at Milagros, just south of the Duero River.

Battle
The Castilian army, all feudal knights, charged into the fray against the Arab cavalry that the Moors fielded, and the two sides met in traditional medieval warfare; combat between knights on a battlefield. The Moorish cavalry was unarmored, and its soldiers wore chain mail with only small wooden shields to deflect the blows of Castilian lances. In the ensuing battle, the Moors were eventually forced back, and the Moorish cavalry attempted to put on a fighting retreat, withdrawing before making a stand. Each time that the Moors made a stand, they were slaughtered by the Castilian knights, and Yahya was slain in battle. The Moorish army was destroyed in the battle, and the Castilians returned home in victory. The seasonal raid was a success, and Lord Jacome was granted a banquet as a reward for his triumph.